Author Topic: The Backlog, 2020 edition  (Read 8310 times)

vladgd

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Re: The Backlog, 2020 edition
« Reply #15 on: May 12, 2020, 10:33:51 PM »
7. Fallout New Vegas



Well..this came out of nowhere. Was going to play planescape torment, got too drunk, decided to play this instead...

GOOD GAME BAD BUGS

Before the last few story missions I would have put this above fallout 4, after...It is my least favorite fallout game. Yknow one good way to remove power fantasy in a videogame? CONSTANTLY HAVE AREAS THAT TAKE ALL YOUR GEAR! Now you can just tell people to fuck off and slaughter entire casinos, which I DID...then you get to higher tier people like brotherhood and with savescumming, I just wasn't powerful enough to rambo that many people. Iunno, I think the game has more and better content than 4, but 4 lacked bugs to piss me off to the extent that new vegas did. Fiddley quests failing you for no reason, playing the game normally pisses off other factions, and when they attack you in a town...the guards don't help you, and when you retaliate, the guards kill you...come the fuck on even morrowind had that shit in check.

Fallout 1 > 3 > 4 > NV  (haven't finished 2)

Kinda feel annoyed having finished it but its done.

Bobbias

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Re: The Backlog, 2020 edition
« Reply #16 on: May 13, 2020, 10:39:49 AM »
New Vegas could have been so much better if Obsidian actually had more time. They were super rushed with something like 9 months to create the game, which unfortunately lead to a bunch of bugs and cut content. I'd still put NV above 3 and 4 personally thanks to the interesting story lines, different ways to complete quests, and the overall setting and such.

That said, the game has some very rough points that I don't fault you for having issues with.
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vladgd

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Re: The Backlog, 2020 edition
« Reply #17 on: May 13, 2020, 08:58:23 PM »
I think if I had put more time into the game I'd probably put it higher, but I honestly bee lined the main quest in...2 days...and anything that got in my way of finishing the game got way more annoying than it would have if I was playing normally.

That said, I still think I'd prefer fallout 3 because of the leveling system. One perk per level > every other level, and my playstyle was supported in 3, and not new vegas. In 3 I had a stealth guns build with heavy emphasis on explosives and VATS. Less skill points/perks in NV just made me rambo shotguns, which is fine, but I really like stealth in bethesda open world games, and in fallout 3 I whored VATS like a mofo, seems less good in NV.

Reading online I see a lot of people calling NV their favorite fallout game, and I can see where they'd come from even if I do not agree for myself. I really liked fallout 3, but I only put 40 or so hours into it, and I hated oblivion and I put over 90 hours into that, so while I like fallout, I VASTLY prefer a real elder scrolls game.

Not even getting into Fallout 1, which is fantastic, and has a legitimately creepy atmosphere that I still remember today. And for fallout 4...fantastic gameplay, THE BEST BETHESDA GAME LEVELING SYSTEM EVER...and THE WORST BETHESTA GAME OPEN WORLD EVER, and with jack shit to do after the main story and like one populated city in the game, I do not think too highly of the game even if the gameplay and leveling system are pretty great.

Spectere

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Re: The Backlog, 2020 edition
« Reply #18 on: May 18, 2020, 03:12:46 PM »
I think NV would have been my favorite Fallout game if Bethesda didn't give Obsidian the shaft. :< I have a really hard time looking past the bugs and overall clunkiness of it, so classic Fallout is still my favorite Fallout.

I don't know if Obsidian were just routinely handed the short end of the stick (also see: KOTOR 2) or if they were just overly keen to accept large projects with tight deadlines, but yikes.
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vladgd

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Re: The Backlog, 2020 edition
« Reply #19 on: June 15, 2020, 07:28:48 PM »
8. Phantasy Star (Sega Ages)



Always wanted to try out the Phantasy Star series (online doesn't count, totally different games), and with this iteration existing, I figured it would be the best starting point.

Same opinion of dragon quest 2 applies...while this version has less random encounters, more money/exp per encounter, and "gasp" DUNGEON MAPS!? It's still a very...very...very...OLD game. If you hate yourself, you could play without a FAQ, but I don't, so, that's the way to go. Other than random trial and error and getting lost, idk how you get through the damn game without a guide.

That said, it's not exactly a fantastic game, however, from a historical sense, it's a cool game to experience. Has this medieval meets future vibe with swords and guns, but also spaceships and hovercraft, feels pretty original for its time. It's pretty cheap on switch eshop, if you've got the patience for a game older than I am (32 years young), it's not too bad to play through with an FAQ...and maybe a few maps...

vladgd

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Re: The Backlog, 2020 edition
« Reply #20 on: July 02, 2020, 12:03:31 AM »
*. Persona 4 Golden (steam)


Doesn't count as ninth game because I beat the original non golden edition on ps2 already a few years ago. I pretty much put it on very easy(I'm not going to say golden, but original persona 4 was HARD AS FUK, and people laugh at me for that. I legit had an easier time completing smt nocturne than vanilla persona 4), and fast forwarded through most of the scenes I've seen before stopping to watch the new stuff golden added. The instant I heard this game dropped on steam it was an autobuy, and when I seen it was only $20, I was buying it regardless, but now I can bug people to buy it because its only $20. Original game took me 102 hours to complete far as I remember, going as fast as I can speeding through everything, on the most easiest of difficulties took me...47 hours...to finish, this game is by no means short, you get your dollar per hour out of this fucker. AFIAK THE GAME IS DOING WELL AND BROKE SOME RECORD OF MOST PEOPLE PLAYING A JRPG ON STEAM AT ONE TIME SO ATLUS PORT MORE STUFF TO PC I WILL BUY ALL OFITplz

AND WITH GOLDEN THERES AN EPILOGUE WHICH HIT ME IN ALL THE FEELS FUKKKKkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk talk about wrapping up a massive long huge rpg game with an ending you can feel good about.

10/10 game, 10/10 port, buy it. I spent damn near 50 hours beating a game that doesn't even count on this list, its very much worth playing for any jrpg fan.

vladgd

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Re: The Backlog, 2020 edition
« Reply #21 on: July 16, 2020, 01:09:18 AM »
9. Advance Wars Dual Strike



Funny I did days of ruin first because I hated the aesthetics. This game has the best audio/visual of the entire series...and yet it's the worst game out of the lot of them. Very very gimmicky with the DUAL SCREENS OMG ITS THE NINTENDO DEE ESS GOTTA GIMMICKS!

Selecting anywhere between 4 and 6 CO's, and having to equip skills on all of them, as apart from the series norm of picking 1 guy, and not having any persistent skills to worry about...ehh, no. And there's just some bullshit overpowered stuff, on your end, and the enemy end. Like it when the enemy gets two turns in one turn? NOBODY DOES, the fuck thought it was a good idea. Despite that, it's probably one of the easier of the 4 games? So I can't complain too much about how bullshit two turns in a row is.

I could rant about how all of the other games are better, but at the end of the day, its an advance wars game, and thus, it's still a good game. Worth playing if you have access to it, I found a loose copy for a reasonable price...but I did recently get a "cough" r4 "cough" due to how much of a robbery the ds dragon quests are, so you could do that too...besides that...this marks the last advance wars game...so I beat em all! If you don't count famicom wars, super famicom wars, and the gameboy wars series...which I don't since those are all nip only and serve more as proto advance wars games in my opinion.

One left!
« Last Edit: July 16, 2020, 01:11:22 AM by vladgd »

vladgd

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Re: The Backlog, 2020 edition
« Reply #22 on: September 29, 2020, 05:46:01 PM »
I got 3 months to beat 1 game...motivation has been kinda shot due to life circumstances earlier in the year, so been playing other stuff.



Took me like 3 weeks to get the motivation to play this thing after I randomly impulse bought it, but the internet wasn't wrong, game is crack.

FACTORIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooo

(now to find a few people to play multiplayer with)

Spectere

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Re: The Backlog, 2020 edition
« Reply #23 on: September 29, 2020, 07:10:01 PM »
Yeah, Factorio is pretty much incredible. Just wait until you get to logistics networks! *drools* Its mod support is pretty badass, too, but I'd suggest going through the tech tree normally before you dive into that too much.

If you're looking for something with a bit more verticality, Satisfactory is a pretty fun time as well.
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vladgd

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Re: The Backlog, 2020 edition
« Reply #24 on: December 25, 2020, 03:35:54 AM »
10. Cyberpunk 2077



I have done every mission in the game minus the boxing in pacifica because the hardest goddamn thing in the game which was the "final boxing match" apparently wasn't enough boxing, so I just skipped it. Crit chance is with only 3 reflexes by the way, very hard mode turned very easy after I started going ham on legendary mods.

This game was gonna come second place to a game I played earlier this year, but after finishing it...I can't. Ignoring everything negative people who aren't even playing this game are saying about it, this game is nothing short of phenomenal. It ain't perfect, but god damn this game got me in the feels so hard.

I can't even sugar coat it, the time I just had is amongst the most enjoyment I've had playing a videogame. YMMV, but put graphics, characters, story, amazing gameplay, and my ability to use videogames as escapism and actually be there, sad to see it end. Game has multiple endings, and I don't know if there is a "good ending" but god damn I feel like when I beat Red Dead Redemption(no similarities to said ending, just one that tugs at the feels), just bummed. It's a fuckin climax alright, and my emotions going with it.

This game has exceeded my expectations. Bravo.

"cough" short game my ass, maybe don't skip 90% of the content you idiot reddit fucks "cough"


That's 10 games in 2020, barely. I think for real this time, due to pandemic, personal life situation, and all of that, I will not be gunning for 10 next year. Just a new thread with whatever new shit im beating with no numerical goal. Maybe one more update to this thread to do a year end recap closer to new years.

G G

*edit*

was slightly tipsy posting that, but the way I feel still stands, game is not without faults, so I suppose I can list some of them.

-While game is very stable, haven't had a single crash, game has semi frequent smaller bugs. Most of them are try to enter a door and the prompt wont show up unless I reload. Actually a lot of issues where I can't progress or an event won't trigger without a reload, or in some cases restarting the game.

-the boxing missions are horrible. LETS JUST ASSUME YOU DONT HAVE ANY POINTS INTO BODY, and no perks into hand to hand, you're gonna have a bad time. Even if you do play well, you won't have the stamina to evade the two punches they need to land on you to end you, compared to the 60-70 punches you need to land on them to end them, this is with buying the gorilla arms cyberware and having points into body...it'll take even more work without.

-the story, while REALLY REALLY GOOD, the pacing makes you feel forced to do the next one, and if you do, I can see why people say the game is very short because off the top of my head there's like...prologue, mission, mission, end of act 1, then like 4-5 missions, and point of no return after that. Maybe some LIGHT side mission gating or level gating would have helped this somewhat? The content was good, the method in which it was served could have been modified to feel less urgent or something to encourage going off the beaten path.

-explosions

-no, seriously, explosions. I save every 40 seconds and loading a save takes like 9 seconds, so it's not that bad, but if you kill a guy and you're next to an explosive container...you're gonna reload when another enemy shoots that thing. It feels like explosions just outright kill you most of the time, and it's the biggest cause of my own demise.

-extremely inconsistent fall damage. I have fallen 20 feet and taken no fall damage, and I have fallen 2 feet and died from 100% health to 0. EVERY TIME I make a drop from ANY height, I quicksave.

-buying weapons/armor/cyberware/blueprints. Each store has a random stock, but each store also carries certain things. No stores are labeled, only "clothes store here, gun store here" so unless you google it or memorize it, you aren't going to find specific stock on your own. On top of that, the later half of the game I used only one single gun, the db-2 satara. This gun is the only tech shotgun in the game, the highest blueprint available is rare (blue), and the highest dropped is epic (purple), there is no epic blueprint, no legendary blueprint, or legendary drop for this gun. The gun exists in the game files, it's just not accessible in normal play. Ontop of that, the epic version has a "50% reduced charge time" modifier on it, but MOST of the epic ones I find that drop (and they are far from easy to find even one) don't even have that important mod on it. So you have a weapon you get at say level 27, and use it to 50...it costs more and more to upgrade the same gun, than it does to find one that's 10 levels higher and to upgrade it from there, and I can't craft one, so I'm left to burn all of my crafting mats on the only means I use to shoot gun. Feels a bit unfair to tech shotgun users to me. The shopping issue I can see being fixed in future dlc however, and the shotgun issue I can see being fixed after the major bugs are ironed out, but the game is complete for me, so I went without it.

-maybe more of an emphasis on how to level certain less obvious skills, even just a mouse over "gaining engineering exp can be done by disabling cameras/mines, shooting people through walls with charged tech weapons, and using grenades" would have saved me a lot of time, since I thought killing enemies with a tech weapon was enough, as it actually awards 0 exp on its own.

-this is merely personal preference, but I would prefer the game to continue AFTER the climax of the game, and not just have a state of "point of no return after this one bud, but you can reload here to play our future dlc even though you will soon know the conclusion of the characters kinda spoiling the point of going back to do more stuff" The witcher 3 did this, and maybe I was hoping they wouldn't dive into that jar a second time, but they did. Again, maybe dlc can...modify things somewhat? They really shouldn't though, what's done is done, and lightning the emotional blow would only dampen the experience they originally created.

-there is a bug which prevents you from firing your gun...this has happened to me 3-4 times. a simple load fixes this, but still an annoyance.

-explosions yet again

Those are the bigger issues I had with the game. Driving was decent enough for me, the motorcycle I drove most of the game handled fine. The combat music would drone on a bit louder/longer than I want, but that's a nitpick. No transmog, or a way to just browse clothes I want is another one. Limited clothing options is another, many many npc's have cool gear that is just unavailable to the player, but again, a nitpick in a FIRST PERSON perspective game. Police suck in general, but it's not grand theft auto, so i'll give it a pass. Vehicles for purchase should have a different icon than the quest icon so you can easily see what quests there are to do without mousing over all of these money-sinks you won't buy.

ramble ramble, steam says I have 86 hours logged, so I had a lot to type.

*edit*

went back to complete the blue ncpd missions that I originally were infinite, they aren't, there's just a lot of them. So besides the remaining boxing missions, the secret ending I fucked myself over from getting on this character, and the remaining endings, I think I have done every mission in the entire game. 81.5 hours played.
« Last Edit: December 26, 2020, 04:48:40 PM by vladgd »

vladgd

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Re: The Backlog, 2020 edition
« Reply #25 on: December 29, 2020, 08:56:52 PM »
Gonna make this summary post before I forget and it's half way through January, my does time go by fast.

1. Dragon Quest 2
2. Dragon Quest Builders 2
3. SteamWorld Dig
4. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
5. Advance Wars Days of Ruin
6. XCOM Chimera Squad
7. Fallout New Vegas
8. Phantasy Star (Sega Ages)
9. Advance Wars Dual Strike
10. Cyberpunk 2077

Most rewarding game to complete
Advance Wars Days of Ruin

I heard this was the hardest Advance Wars game, and well, it ain't easy. Far from unfair though, I went in to the game expecting to hate it and it ended up being my second favorite advance wars game after 2.


Biggest surprise
Dragon Quest Builders 2

I don't play these types of games, but not only that, when I started, I was HOOKED. I couldn't get myself to stop playing the game until I seen the credits, did not see this one coming at all.

Least Favorite Game
Advance Wars Dual Strike

This one was pretty hard this year because, I didn't really dislike anything that much. But this is probably the worst advance wars game, selecting up to 4 goddamn CO's for a mission and all their skills, dealing with the enemy getting 2 turns in a row...just no.

Runner up favorite
Dragon Quest Builders 2

This was my goty, but...yknow...STILL, I can't emphasize enough, this game is VERY GOOD. Game is usually on sale sporadically, give it a shot if you wanna try a building game with a story, and a clear 3-4...5ish act structure. 

Special Mention
Probably should add this category to mention something that couldn't fit in elsewhere.

Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga

This game started out pretty bland/WHY ARE THERE SO MANY RANDOM BATTLES WHY WHY WHY WHY. But sticking with it, I was rewarded with a FANTASTIC ost, really cool unique setting (it ain't nocturne, but it do), it's probably my second favorite non persona megaten game. Really do check out the soundtrack for DDS1 (not 2, that game is a bit of a downgrade with its ost compared to 1), it's got the chillest vibes.

Favorite Game/2020 GOTY
Cyberpunk 2077

Uhh, see the post above. This was gonna be runner up, but then I got really invested in the universe/characters/story, and the combat was so fun I went back to beat all of the remaining missions...

I've got several amazon tabs open right now to buy some of the old cyberpunk 2020 books, along with needing to see blade runner, and read neuromancer, my enjoyment of the game is bleeding outside of playing the game itself. 2020 is a horrible year, but at least one of the bigger games I've been looking forward to for over 4 years now actually exceeded my expectations.



1- earthbound
2- monster hunter world
3- smt nocturne
4- smt 4
5- south park fractured but whole
6- xcom terror from the deep
7- persona 5
8- deus ex mankind divided
9- metroid: samus returns
10- dragon quest xi
11- smt 4 apocalypse
12- advance wars 2
13- disgaea 5
14. Front Mission 4
15. Paper Mario TTYD
16. Luigis Mansion
17. Zelda Wind Waker
18. Rebel Galaxy
19. Persona Q
20. Eternal Darkness
21. Dragon Quest
22. Strange Journey Redux
23. Shining Force Sword of Hajya
24. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
25. Doom (2016)
26. Metroid Prime
27. Plants vs Zombies
28. Disgaea 1 Complete
29. Links Awakening Remake
30. Pokemon Shield
31. Dragon Quest 2
32. Dragon Quest Builders 2
33. SteamWorld Dig
34. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
35. Advance Wars Days of Ruin
36. XCOM Chimera Squad
37. Fallout New Vegas
38. Phantasy Star (Sega Ages)
39. Advance Wars Dual Strike
40. Cyberpunk 2077

This list is getting pretty big, I think if I quit right now, I would be happy with the work I got done. Not going for 10 games next year, need to focus on more important things 2021, moving, fitness, health, social life, blablabla. BUT DON'T MEAN IM NOT GONNA PLAY VIDYA, I'm just not going to stress over hitting that number 10. New thread whenever I can add a game to 2021, lets hope it's an improvement over 2020.